Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 407: Chapter 199: Crossing the Boundary Sea to the East, Part 2

Master Yu Cha smiled and explained, "The Major Sects discussed this matter long ago, back when the sea routes were first established."

"Their final conclusion was that it was better to let these beasts scram on their own."

"They’re allowed to leave the Southern Domain, but they can forget about ever coming back. Anyone who tries to run back gets thrown into the sea to feed the fish midway."

At the time, those Daoists figured that if these people stayed, they would just hide and cause destruction everywhere.

It was better to give them an escape route—strict on entry, lenient on exit—and send them off to plague the Eastern Domain.

"Enough about that. Come, let’s drink!"

Master Yu Cha grabbed a nearby wine jar and poured Xiao Chen a large, full bowl. "This is a fine wine a good friend of mine sent over from Ten Thousand Immortals Island."

"It’s called White Jade Little Cyan Dragon."

"It’s made by sealing a Tier Three White Jade Carp and many rare Spiritual Objects into a jar using a unique Secret Technique."

"First, it’s buried on the island for a full nine years. Then it’s steeped in the sea for another nine years. Finally, it’s taken out and hung in the air for nine more years before a single jar can be brewed."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen looked into the Golden Bowl before him.

Sure enough, he saw a cloud of white mist floating in the bowl, at times resembling a carp, at others a roaming dragon.

It seemed quite lively, but a sweep with his Divine Sense revealed it was merely a ball of exceptionally pure Spiritual Qi.

This ball of Spiritual Qi alone was almost comparable to a bottle of Five-Colored Profound Water.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’this wine *is* brewed from a Tier Three Spirit Fish, so of course it’s different from the common stuff I usually see.’

’But isn’t the cost a bit too high?’

.

Xiao Chen raised the Golden Bowl and drained it in one gulp.

As the Spirit Wine went down his throat, it felt sweet as honey and soft as cotton, yet delicate and powerful, with a clean, lingering aftertaste.

Then, a ball of heat rose from his stomach and gathered in his chest, spreading a pleasant warmth.

The heat lasted for about thirty minutes before it finally dissipated.

During this time, wisps of Spiritual Power were absorbed into his Dantian, where they lay hidden.

When it came time to cultivate, this would help a Cultivator better in Refining True Essence.

"Excellent wine!"

Xiao Chen praised, "You’ve gone to great expense, Fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist Yan Long, you’re too kind."

Master Yu Cha refilled his bowl. "If you don’t mind, Fellow Daoist, please have a couple more bowls."

"We can share this jar and pass the time on this sea voyage."

The jar contained a good ten jin of wine. At thirty minutes a bowl, it would last a long time.

As for the cost, it wasn’t actually as high as one might imagine.

The Eastern Domain has numerous Spirit Veins, and these White Jade Carp are artificially bred in large numbers, so they aren’t the rare sight they are in the Southern Domain.

Although they were genuinely Tier Three Spirit Fish, their value was naturally lower due to their sheer abundance.

Of course, this was only from the perspective of a Golden Core True Man. An ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator certainly couldn’t afford it.

Perhaps it was his cheerful personality, or maybe he hadn’t had anyone to talk to for a long time.

After two bowls of wine, Master Yu Cha became quite the chatterbox.

He started boasting to Xiao Chen, telling him stories of his experiences on the Boundary Sea over the years, as well as some strange tales from the Eastern Domain.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Long, I remember my third time out at sea, I ran right into a Four-Eyed Swordfish."

"It was leading a huge school of Sea Fish—at least eight or ten thousand of them—and they completely surrounded the *Fu Hai*, layer after layer."

"I was standing on the bow, and let me tell you, when I looked out, there were dense barrages of Water Swords coming from all directions."

"They were hammering the entire Composite Defense Array so hard it was rattling violently."

"That Four-Eyed Swordfish was hiding in the school, not showing itself at all. I looked left and right but couldn’t spot it, and I could only watch as piles and piles of Spirit Stones were burned up."

"And then, guess what happened?"

Xiao Chen played along perfectly. "It sounds that serious? How did you resolve it in the end?"

"Heh heh heh!"

Master Yu Cha gave a smug grin. "Well, I was pretty bold back in the day. Plus, I had another Fellow Daoist with me to watch over the ship."

"So I grabbed my Sea-piercing Jade Fork and dove straight into the sea."

"That Four-Eyed Swordfish’s head alone was four zhang high, and the whole thing was at least twenty zhang long. When it opened its mouth, its maw was three and a third zhang tall. The whiskers by its mouth were as thick as my thigh."

"The beast thought that once I was in the water, I’d be no match for it. It stopped hiding and charged right at me."

"Hmph! I tightened my Magic Robe, charged it head-on, shot right into its mouth, and carved my way out through its stomach."

"I couldn’t see clearly in the middle of it all and ended up smashing its Demon Pill into two pieces."

"You have no idea, just one half of that Demon Pill was this big!"

Master Yu Cha spread his hands wide apart, indicating a width of about five chi.

But according to the Ancient Texts Xiao Chen had read, a Four-eyed Swordfish King was usually only twelve zhang long, about half the size of the one he described.

’Of course, it’s hard to say for sure,’ Xiao Chen mused. ’Maybe it was a mutated king.’

So he didn’t question it. Instead, he just listened to the story, partly to learn a thing or two and partly to pass the time.

The *Fu Hai*’s top speed reached ten thousand li a day, faster than many Golden Core True Men.

But even so, it would still take nearly four months to cross the Boundary Sea.

If they had to detour for a fish migration or were attacked midway, even four months might not be enough.

Having someone to talk to was much better than being cooped up alone.

After a few days of stories about the Boundary Sea, Master Yu Cha moved on to rumors. "Fellow Daoist Yan Long, have you ever heard about the Three Great Clans of the Jingkong Sea?"

Xiao Chen had read about them in *Journey to the East*. "I’ve heard of them. The Chu Family, the Wen Family, and the Zhao Family, right?"

’Come to think of it, he had even met the younger generation of these three families back in the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace.’